Christopher Emdin

Christopher "Chris" Emdin is a professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University. At Columbia, he launched the Center for Health Equity and Urban Science Education with Dr. Barbara Wallace in 2013. In 2013, he was a fellow at the W.E.B. DuBois Research Institute at Harvard University. His bio describes him as "a social critic, public intellectual, and science advocate." He is author of the book, Urban Science Education for the Hip-Hop Generation, and regular contributor to HuffPost. Commentary on his work on race, culture, inequality, and education has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He developed and partnered with the rapper GZA and the website Rap Genius to develop the Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S, which engages students in science through the creation of raps and a final rap battle competition.

Emdin is founder of the popular #HipHopEd web chat and social movement. He is a leading researcher in hip hop, science, and education.

Emdin is the author of the New York Times bestseller, For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood...and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education and Urban Science Education For the Hip-Hop Generation.

Emdin holds a bachelor's degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry from Lehman College (2000). He also holds a M.S. in Natural Sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2003), and a PhD in Urban Education from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, (2007)